More than 200 missing after Indonesia ferry sinks

Indonesian rescue teams were desperately searching for more survivors on Monday as scores remained missing after a ferry carrying 250 passengers and 17 crew sank in stormy seas at the weekend in the country’s east. An official on the island of Sulawesi said only 20 survivors had been found so far and quoted them as saying the ferry rolled over and sank after being hit by waves of more than 5 meters (16 feet) in the early hours of Sunday. – From Reuters

A ship carrying 250 passengers and 17 crew members sank in rough seas in waters off Baturoro in Majene regency, West Sulawesi, on Sunday. Rustam Pakaya, head of the Health Ministry’s crisis center, said six people had been confirmed dead in the accident, Reuters reported. A joint search-and-rescue team pulled 150 passengers from the water, and 18 others were rescued by fishermen. The ship had departed from Pare-pare in South Sulawesi at 5:45 p.m. local time (4:45 p.m. Jakarta time) on Saturday on a voyage through the Makassar Strait to Samarinda, capital of East Kalimantan. – From Jakarta Post